This invention relates generally to a hierarchically implemented data structure.
The functionality of many electronic devices has become so great that accessing data within the devices is sometimes quite cumbersome. Some electronic devices, therefore, have a structure that allows information to be accessed by navigating a series of levels until the desired item is found. Such a structure is often arranged in a hierarchical fashion. For instance, a user may begin at the top-most level, generally referred to as the root level, and navigate downwardly through the levels until the desired item is found.
Navigating through multiple levels to find an item may take a long time. In some cases, this has prompted users to manually create an alternate path through which to access the item, so that the item may be accessed more quickly. For example, a user may manually create a shortcut to the item. In some cases, a shortcut may allow access to an item at a higher level of the hierarchical structure than the level at which the item was accessed before the shortcut was created. A shortcut may be desired, for example, to facilitate accessing frequently accessed items and items having a long access path (i.e., items buried deep within the hierarchical structure). However, a user is required to dedicate time to manually create these shortcuts.
Thus, there is a need for an improved way of generating a path to an item.